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| 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante Review, Wolfgang Von Kempelen
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Diamante LS
| | Model of the car: | Diamante LS | | | General comments: | On the night of July 6, 2004, I purchased a 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante LS with 12,000 miles. It is black with tan leather interior. The car is in immaculate condition. It possesses almost every conceivable luxury, sunroof, automatic climate control, heated seats, traction control, outside temperature, wood, leather, CD player, antilock brakes, rear seat center arm rest, garage door opener, power driver and passenger seats, seat memory…
The features that I was looking for in a new car (ranked in order of importance):
1. Quiet, rattle free, luxury interior.
2. Smooth, powerful, quiet 6-cylinder engine.
3. Attractive body.
4. Good vehicle quality, inexpensive to repair.
5. 1-2 year old car with low mileage for approximately $20,000.
As I drove to work this morning, I marveled at the quite interior and smooth ride. While I am a smooth, conservative driver, I could not help testing the Diamante’s power. To borrow a term coined by Rolls Royce engineers, this car possesses “waftability”, that is, strong, silent, graceful acceleration. As I merged onto the highway, the anxious Benz that was crowding my bumper faded in the rear view mirror.
The engine seems smoother than some of the other cars that I considered, including Acura, BMW, and Audi. The other engines were loud and buzzy in comparison. While the Nissan Maxima possessed a very smooth and potent V6, ultimately the Maxima’s stark, plain, sporty interior could not compete with the Diamante’s more upscale, civilized cabin. I really love the wood accents in the Diamante. The Audi has by far the nicest interior of any car in this luxury class. However, like the other cars in this class (Lexus, Infinity, BMW, Mercedes, Audi-A4, Volkswagon-Passat), the Audi was priced several thousand dollars more than the 1-year old Diamante. Ultimately, I paid $18,000 for the Diamante, which was about $6,000 less than my other serious consideration, a 2002 Audi A4 Quattro with 40K. While I liked the A4’s interior and exterior styling far more, the Audi’s expensive repair costs and significantly higher price made the Diamante an easy choice.
I read every Diamante review that I could find from individuals and auto magazines. The reviews by owners were very helpful with regard to how much of a bargain this car is on the used car market. I can’t believe they cost less than some Accords, Camrys, and Maximas. The Diamante is undoubtedly a superior vehicle. A couple of the auto magazine reviews gave me some apprehension regarding the Diamante’s performance. In particular, they mentioned body roll while cornering and nose-dive under hard braking. My concerns were quickly dispelled after driving the Diamante. I drove around an exit ramp at a high rate of speed and felt virtually no body-lean. Additionally, I braked relatively hard at a traffic light and did not experience nose-dive. Unless you drive your Diamante like some maniac working for an automotive magazine, the car handles very satisfyingly. In fact, the handling is far superior to my old, sporty, two-door coupe.
The most important aspect of car for me is comfortable seating in a quite rattle free interior that is well appointed with wood | | | What things have gone wrong with the car: | Seat bottom could be deeper for taller drivers. | | | Previous car: | Audi A4, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Acura TL |
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